UPDATE 1-Several killed in Libya desert town clash

TRIPOLI May 16 (Reuters) - At least seven people were
killed in clashes between armed nomads and residents of a Libyan
town on the border with Algeria on Wednesday, officials said,
underlining the insecurity that still plagues the country one
month before elections.

The fighting erupted over control of a checkpoint on the
edge of Ghadames on a desert route often used for smuggling,
officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Tension had been building for days between locals and Tuareg
tribesmen - nomads who roam the desert spanning the borders of
Libya and its neighbours, an official at Ghadames local council
said.

Government spokesman Nasser El-Manee said military forces
had restored calm in the town, which lies about 600 km (370
miles) southwest of Tripoli and whose old town is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.

"There have been clashes in Ghadames. Seven people were
killed, 20 people injured," he said. "Military forces are inside
the city. Now everything is under control," he said, adding that
Ghadames airport was closed for security reasons.

The Ghadames local council official put the death toll at
13, 12 of whom were Tuaregs, including a local Tuareg leader
whose body was being kept at the hospital.

Earlier, resident Abdelgader Haiba said the two sides were
fighting "over control of one of the main entrance gates".

Libya's interim rulers have struggled to impose their will
on the vast country's often fractious tribal groups since last
year's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.
Continued...